KARAGANDINSKAYA OBLAST

	Jewish organizations in Karaganda "Hesed Miriam" Director Bella Kamenetskaya Jewish City Community Center Heads Irina Kozhanovskaya Jewish Cultural Center "Miriam" Chairman Vilen Molotov-Luchanskiyi Sokhnut Coordinator Alla Savostenko Religious Community Head Mikhail Falikovich Jewish Sunday school Director Alla Gendelman
	Jewish Organizations in Temirtau Jewish Community Chairman Valeriyi Karlash
	Jewish Organizations in Zhezkazgan Jewish Cultural Center Director Anna Popova

  The administrative center is Karaganda City.

  The total area of Karaganda Oblast is about 430 thousand square kilometers. The population of the oblast is 1392 thousand people according to the information for 2000, and the urban population is 83%. There are 11 cities, 39 urban-type communities in the oblast. The key industry is coal-mining industry. Karaganda coalfield is one of the main power resources of Kazakhstan. In this coalfield coal has been mining since 1930.
  Karaganda is a big railway junction. It adjusted a status of a city in 1934. The population of Karaganda for 1999 is 437 thousand people.

  There are the following branches of the industry there: mining equipment enterprises, light industry, food industry and building materials industry.

  Also there are 5 Universities including one of the biggest universities in the Republic of Kazakhstan (about 8 thousand student study there) and the branch office of the Academy of Science. There are three theatres, museum of regional and art museum and botanical gardens.

  Jewish people live all over the territory of the oblast.

  Since 1998 American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (AJJDC, "Joint") cooperates with Karaganda Jewish national organizations. Welfare Center "Hesed" sponsored by "Joint" started working here in 1998.